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Author Interview – C. S. Boyack

When I put out a Call to Writers recently, and asked to interview them, I received a good response. I asked everyone thirty-five questions — some were basic, and others were multi-part inquiries — and I asked them to answer only what they wanted to or what was applicable. My friend and fellow-blogger, Craig Boyack, was the first in line with his answers. Craig entertains me every time he blogs, and as you’ll see below, he’s quite engaging. And now, heeeeere’s Craig…

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Craig here. Thanks to Rachel for the awesome interview. I write under the name C. S. Boyack. I’ve completed six novels, and am working on the seventh. Two of these will never see the light of day. (Unless some artist wants to try them as a graphic novel. They’d be great for that.)

I recently self-published my first novel, Wild Concept. It’s the story of Lisa, a robot built in a concept lab. She is supposed to fit in with society, but knows she is the outsider. She’s scheduled to be torn down at the end of her experiment, but decides not to go through with it. It ends a bit differently than the standard shootout. You can check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IIWQ10A

The awesome Sean Harrington did my cover art. He writes and draws the wonderful web comic, Spying With Lana. Here’s the cover:

I dabbled with writing for years, but never got serious until I was forty nine years old. I’ve always had ideas floating around in my head, and it’s accelerated since I started writing. All my ideas have something strange about them. Wild Concept is a bit of science fiction, but I also write paranormal and fantasy stories.

I’m a sporadic reader, and only manage about a dozen to twenty books per year. I’ve been reading Jim Butcher, Cherie Priest, and Alexandra Sokoloff lately. I read everything on my iPad these days, and prefer the Kindle app.

I use my iPad for writing too. I wrote my first complete novel with two thumbs and an iPad. Then I got smart and bought a bluetooth keyboard.

I’m in the process of getting three other stories ready for Amazon. This is taking up a lot of time right now. The next one is a paranormal piece called Panama. It will be followed by another science fiction story called Arson. The last of the older ones is a fantasy called The Cock of the South (if Amazon will allow the title).

Right now, I’m neck deep in another paranormal piece called Will ‘O the Wisp. I learned so much while researching things for Arson, that this story started forming before I finished.

(These are a lot of questions, Rachel.)

I’m an outliner who doesn’t outline. I storyboard using an app called Corkulous Pro. I make index cards and move them around until I’m happy. I also use the sticky notes to remember the cool things I want to include. I add photos for inspiration and descriptive purposes. I also like the check list option. If I need to include the stages of grieving, I can check them off as I beat down my character.

I write in silence on my days off. I’ve written as many as 8,500 words when it’s really flowing, and as few as a thousand when I’m slogging along.

Do I have a Muse? As a matter of fact, I do. Her name is Lorelei, and I blog about her all the time. She’s an athletic Grecian brunette, and she has taught me all kinds of things.

I have an imaginary writing cabin where I do all my writing. I recently wrote a second level onto it when Lisa moved in and became my permanent robotic assistant.

Things get pretty crazy out at the cabin some days. Many of my characters visit, and we recently had a couple of dwarves over. Lisa and I would love to have you stop by anytime. You can find it at http://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com.

I missed a few questions, but I’ll answer one more. The strangest thing I’ve ever researched was how to make phosgene gas. This was for one of the two trunk novels. It was a steampunk piece, and it just fit in so well.

This has been a lot of fun, and I really appreciate the chance to reach a wider audience. Thanks again, Rachel.
~Craig Boyack

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Thank you, Craig, for allowing me to interview you. I hope everyone else has enjoyed learning about you and your work as much as I have.

12 thoughts on “Author Interview – C. S. Boyack”

Reblogged this on Entertaining Stories and commented:
Check this out, you guys. Rachel Carrera did an interview with me. You can learn all about my writing process and insanity on her blog today. Visit Rachel at https://rachelcarrera.wordpress.com/ and consider giving her a follow. She’s nice and doesn’t bite.